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Petra Neiger, director of communications at Siemens Healthcare

Petra Neiger oversees a team that manages digital, social and traditional communications. Prior to joining Siemens last year, she held several marketing positions at Cisco. In her last role, Neiger built and led social business for the company and was responsible for initiatives to deepen social capabilities, encourage participation and scale social media through employee and customer engagement. These efforts included, but were not limited to, the Cisco Social Media Training Program, consulting, executive and employee engagement programs, and customer advocacy. In addition, she oversaw the company's brand campaign in the digital world.

Neiger is the recipient of several industry digital and social best practices awards, and was named Top Digital Marketer of the Year in 2013 by BtoB magazine, as well as one of the 10 Hottest Digital Marketers by iMedia in 2013. She finds great pleasure in exploring new things and places, practicing yoga, exercising, studying a form of alternative medicine, and staying connected with friends and family. You can follow her on Twitter at @petra1400.

What is your proudest work achievement in the past year?

There are several things I'm proud of but if I had to pick one from last year, I would say the Cisco Champions advocacy program. It took years to build and shape, and it was truly a joy to see it blossom into a robust program.

What do you like most about your job?

In whatever I do, I always want to know that I can make a difference. That makes me happy.

How can more women be successful in the B2B marketing industry?

Believing that they can do it, knowing themselves and their mission in the world, and effectively applying this knowledge; knowing what questions to ask and how to find the answers; dreaming big but setting a series of attainable goals to get there; adopting an "always learning, always improving" mindset; acting as change agents; finding ways to effectively manage their energy; and not taking themselves too seriously.